Crew of cargo ship that sank off the Kent coast airlifted to hospital
The crew were forced to abandon the 90m vessel after making a mayday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The crew of a cargo ship which sank off the Kent coast were rescued from life rafts and airlifted to hospital.
As force nine winds whipped around them, the seven people aboard were forced to abandon the 90m vessel after making a mayday call around 35 nautical miles (65km) north east of Ramsgate late Friday night.
Search and rescue helicopters were dispatched from both the UK and the Netherlands and an RNLI lifeboat also went to the sinking ship to help the crew.
But nearby merchant ships managed to reach them first and took them on board before they were airlifted to hospital.
“Following a mayday broadcast from the sinking vessel, we sent multiple assets to the scene to rescue the crew who abandoned ship,” Steve Carson, the UK Coastguard duty commander, said.
“The weather on scene has been challenging but we are pleased to report that all the crew have been rescued and are on their way to hospital.”
It is unclear what caused the ship to sink or whether any cargo was on board.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments